Vehicle with geo-fenced ride control system

ABSTRACT

A vehicle with a Geo-Fenced Ride Control System including: one or more battery modules including one or more battery cells; one or more processors operably connected to the one or more battery cells to control vehicle performance; and a Global Positioning System (GPS) or cellular network receiver configured to determine location of the vehicle; wherein the one or more processors communicates with a remote sever to determine a plurality of available vehicle performance settings for the vehicle based on the location of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes a user input interface configured to receive user input including selection of the vehicle performance setting form the plurality of available vehicle performance settings based on the geographic location of the vehicle.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 63/242,819, filed on Sep. 10, 2021, and titled “BATTERY SYSTEM ANDBATTERY POWERED VEHICLE,” the entirety of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates swappable battery packs and an associatedcharging port for electric vehicles, namely electric bikes (eBikes).

BACKGROUND

Electric vehicles continue gaining traction as a means oftransportation. Light electric vehicles (LEV) specifically, are gainingtraction in the United States after enjoying years of popularity inEurope. Part of the appeal is the ease of ride. Most people can ridethem, from the most seasoned rider to someone who has not ridden sincechildhood. LEV have the potential to expand riding to new audiences andkeep people riding throughout their lives.

But some confusion around how and where LEV can be ridden is dampeningtheir growth potential and as an emerging technology, they require clearregulations to govern their use and create stability in the marketplace.

In the United States, at the federal level, the National Highway andTransportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) establishes Federal MotorVehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that define LEV for the purpose ofproduct safety for manufacturing and first sale. States decide how LEVcan be used on streets and bike paths. Over time, without clearguidance, states adopted diverging rules governing the use of LEV—sometreating them like human-powered bicycles, some treating them like motorvehicles, and everything in between. Some states have no regulationwhatsoever.

In Europe, there have been efforts at a uniform continental standard(e.g., EU directive 2002/24/EC) but, generally, the regulatory pictureremains complicated. Generally, individual European countries decide howLEV can be used on their streets and bike paths and they have adopteddiverging rules governing the use of LEV.

This diverging set of rules creates problems both for riders and formanufacturers. Riders who wish to follow the law often do not know whatthe law is in their respective location. Manufacturers wishing to enterthe LEV market must contend with the limitations imposed by a varied setof rules that often impede their ability to sell products nationally,regionally, or globally.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principles and aspects of the present disclosure have application tolight electric vehicles (LEV) regulatory management anywhere in theworld. In the present disclosure, these principles are described belowprimarily in the context of U.S. regulation. It should be understood,however, that the principles and aspects of the present disclosure maybe applicable to other regions, countries, continents, etc. as well asto other electric vehicle applications subject to governmentalregulation.

Since 2014, more than 30 U.S. states have passed a standardizedregulation for LEV use with an approach known as the “3-Class” System.This model legislation defines three common classes of LEV (based onspeed, wattage, and operation), and allows states to decide which typesof bicycle infrastructure each class can use (typically Class 1 andClass 2 eBikes are allowed wherever traditional bikes are allowed). Italso requires LEV makers to highly visible indicate an LEV's Class.

In 2015, California was the first state to adopt this “3-Class”approach, and since then, 32 other states followed suit: Alabama,Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan,Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio,Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont,Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As popularity ofthese vehicles continues to increase, more states around the countrywill adopt this “3-Class” standard to eliminate confusion, enhancesafety, and promote this green transportation method.

The three classes are defined as follows:

Class 1: eBikes that are pedal-assist only, with no throttle, and have amaximum assisted speed of 20 mph.

Class 2: eBikes that also have a maximum speed of 20 mph but arethrottle-assisted.

Class 3: eBikes that are pedal-assist only, with no throttle, and amaximum assisted speed of 28 mph.

Some states treat Class 1 eBikes like traditional mountain or pavementbicycles, legally allowed to ride where bicycles are permitted,including bike lanes, roads, multiuse trails, and bike-only paths.

Class 2 throttle-assist eBikes are often allowed most places atraditional bicycle can go, though some states and cities are opting foradditional restrictions (e.g., New York City & Michigan State). Class 2may not be suitable for singletrack mountain bike trails—it has beenshown that they pose greater physical damage to trails due to thethrottle-actuation. Class 2 may be better suited for multi-use OHVtrails designed for more rugged off-road vehicles.

Class 3 eBikes are typically allowed on roads and on-road bike lanes(“curb to curb” infrastructure) but restricted from bike trails andmultiuse paths. While a 20-mph maximum speed is achievable on atraditional bicycle, decision makers and agencies consider the greatertop-assisted speed of a Class 3 eBike too fast for most bike paths andtrails that are often shared with other trail users.

In addition to these classes, some LEV may be capable of performancesimilar to that of a traditional motorcycle, achieving speeds as high as70-mph. The NHTSA defines additional vehicle classes applicable tohigher powered LEV.

A motorcycle is defined as a motor vehicle with motive power having aseat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on notmore than three wheels in contact with the ground. A motor-driven cycleis defined as a motorcycle with a motor that produces 5-brake horsepoweror less. A moped is a type of motor-driven cycle whose speed attainablein 1 mile is 30 mph or less, which is equipped with a motor thatproduces 2 brake horsepower or less. FMVSS requires that motorcycles beequipped with footrests at each seating position. The pedals on a mopedmay serve as footrests even when the engine is propelling the moped.

And, again, states have adopted diverging rules governing the use ofmotorcycles.

Enthusiasts and manufacturers alike in the U.S. as well as in Europe andelsewhere look forward to a time when the regulatory situation improvesand the rules applying to LEV are relatively uniformed across geography.In the meantime, however, riders and manufacturers alike must contendwith the difficult regulatory environment.

The invention disclose herein allows a manufacturer to manufacture onevehicle. The vehicle may determine its geographical location and basedon that location, select the applicable rules governing its legalbehavior. The vehicle may then automatically select a driving mode basedon the applicable rules. This way the rider always complies with therules and manufacturers may produce one product that alters its ownperformance depending on where the vehicle is located at any specifictime.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The annexed drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, show variousaspects of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary geo-fenced ridecontrol system.

FIG. 2A illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary battery module.

FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary battery module.

FIG. 2C illustrates a perspective view of the exemplary battery moduleand a plug in base.

FIG. 3 illustrates a display for an exemplary geo-fenced ride controlsystem.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary method for a geo-fencedride control system.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computing environment for a geo-fencedride control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The principles and aspects of the present disclosure have particularapplication to electric motorcycles and bicycles, and thus will bedescribed below chiefly in this context. It is understood, however, thatthe principles and aspects of the present disclosure may be applicablefor other electric vehicle applications.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary battery-centricGeo-Fenced ride modes (GF) system 1. For purposes of this disclosure,Geo-Fenced means a geographical boundary between more than one locationor jurisdiction. The geographical boundary can be state-line boundariesas shown on the map M. The map M refers to portions of the U.S. forillustrative purposes. However, the principles and aspects describedtherein are applicable to other regions, countries, continents, etc.Furthermore, the same principles may be applied to other geographicaldivides such as county lines, municipalities, etc. The system 1 detectsgeographical location of a vehicle PD-V and selects the vehicle'sride/performance setting from a plurality of performance settings basedon the geographical location. That is, based on the geographicallocation of the vehicle, a set of rules applying to that location isdetermined, and those rules are applied to the performance or ride modeof the vehicle.

The invention, thus, allows for the manufacturing of one vehicle. Thevehicle PD-V may determine its geographical location and based on thatlocation, select the applicable rules governing its legal behavior. Thevehicle PD-V may then automatically select a driving/ride mode based onthe applicable rules. This way the rider always complies with the rulesand manufacturers may produce one product that alters its ownperformance depending on where the vehicle PD-V is located at anyspecific time.

Each vehicle PD-V may be powered by a battery module 10. The GF system 1is referred herein as battery-centric because battery modules 10 allowfor the construction of the GF system 1, as described in detail below.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a block diagram and profile views of an exemplarybattery module 10. The battery module 10 may include one or more batterycells 12, one or more module processors 14, a battery management system(BMS) 16, a wireless transceiver 18, a power port 24, and a data port26. The battery module may also include an enclosure 20 for at leastpartially housing the one or more battery cells 12, one or more moduleprocessors 14, battery management system (BMS) 16, wireless transceiver18, power port 24, and data port 26.

The battery module 10 may include the one or more battery cells 12electrically organized to enable delivery of targeted range of voltageand current for a duration of time against expected load scenarios. Thenumber and capacity of the battery cells may result in various differentcapacities for the battery module 10. The battery cells 12 may be, forexample, lithium-ion rechargeable cells, but may be other types ofrechargeable cells.

The battery module 10 may include one or more module processors 14operably connected to the one or more battery cells 12 to obtainperformance information from the one or more battery cells 12. In theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 2A, the processor 14 is operablyconnected to the battery cells 12 via the battery management system(BMS) 16. The BMS 16 may perform oversight of the battery cells 12including, for example, monitoring parameters (e.g., voltage, current,temperature, etc.), providing battery protection (e.g., overcurrent,short circuit, over-temperature, etc.), preventing operation outside abattery cell's ratings, estimating a battery cell's operational state,continually optimizing battery performance, reporting operational statusto the processor 14, etc. The processor 14 is operably connected to theBMS 16 to obtain the performance information of the battery cells 12.Performance information in this context includes all information the BMS16 may obtain from the battery module 10 including the battery cells 12including, for example, voltage, current, temperature, abnormalconditions such as overcurrent, short circuit, over-temperature, batterycell's operational state, etc.

The battery module 10 may also include a wireless transceiver 18operably connected to the processor 14 to remotely transmit dataincluding the performance information from the battery cells 12. Thewireless transceiver 18 may include a transmitter, a receiver, or bothand, thus, it may exclusively transmit information, exclusively receiveinformation, or it may transmit and receive information. The wirelesstransceiver 18 may be a broadband cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G,etc.) transceiver or a transceiver employing other local area network(LAN) or wide area network (WAN) technologies. The wireless transceiver18 may, for example, communicate in a network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,satellite communication, etc.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2B, the battery module 10 may also includean enclosure 20 at least partially enclosing the one or more batterycells 12, the one or more module processors 14, and the wirelesstransceiver 18. The enclosure 20 may have mounted to or built thereuponone or more handles 22 for a user to grab to transport the module 10.The weight, size, and form factor of the module 10 is designed withergonomics in mind to be “human-sized.” That is, the module 10 may bedesigned to be transportable by a single person: of such size, shape,and weight that a single person may carry it relatively comfortably andwithout injury.

Regarding weight, the module may be designed to comply with maximumlifting weight regulations or guidelines such as, for example, theRevised National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)Lifting Equation (2021), guidelines for evaluating two-handed manuallifting tasks.

Regarding size and form factor, the module 10 may be designed to have agenerally “suit case” rectangular form factor with the handle 22installed or built thereupon at one end of the module 10. The dimensionsof the module 10 may be height in the range of 12 inches to 24 inches,width in the range of 6 inches to 12 inches, and depth in the range of 4inches to 8 inches. In one embodiment, the module 10 may be 16 inchestall, 9.5 inches wide, and 5.5 inches deep. In some embodiments, thebattery module 10 is designed with height in a range shorter than 12inches or taller than 24 inches, width in a range narrower than 6 inchesor wider than 12 inches, and depth in a range shallower than 4 inches ordeeper than 8 inches.

Returning to FIG. 2A, the module 10 may include a power port 24 forconnecting the battery module 10 to a powered device PD. The powereddevice PD may correspond to a vehicle, a home appliance, etc. asdescribed in detail below. The power port 24 may also serve as arecharge port for the battery module 10. That is, since the batterymodule 10 is removable and transportable, a user may plug in the powerport 24 of the battery module 10 in, for example, a vehicle's power portto power the vehicle, remove the battery module 10 from the vehicle,transport the battery module 10 to a charging station, and plug thebattery module 10 to the charging station to be charged via the powerport 24.

The battery module 10 may also include a data port 26 to connect thebattery module 10 to a data buss of the powered device PD. For example,if the powered device PD is a vehicle, the data port 26 may be connectedto a CAN bus (ISO 11898 Standard) of the vehicle. Similarly, the dataport 26 may be connected to other communications systems such as, forexample, wired standard (RS485, etc.) as well as wireless standard(Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiMax, etc.) communications systems. Thus,the data port 26 may be wired port, a wireless port, or combinationsthereof.

As best shown in FIG. 2C, the battery module 10 may have a connector 11to plug in to a connector 15 of a base 13. The connector 11 mayincorporate the power port 24 and data port 26. The base 13 may be astand-alone charging/power distribution port connected to a building'spower distribution system. The base 13 may also be a vehicle batterydock or receiver for the vehicle PD-V.

The battery module 10 may also include a global position system (GPS) 28receiver operably connected to the processor 14 to communicate to theprocessor 14 a geographical location of the battery module 10. In someembodiments, the battery module 10 may employ techniques (e.g.,Bluetooth communication with GPS-equipped mobile phone CD, Wi-FiPositioning System (WPS), etc.) instead of or in addition to the to theGPS 28 to obtain the geographical location of the battery module 10.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the GF system includes a constellation of batterymodules 10.

Some battery modules 10 may be connected to vehicles PD-V to power thevehicles, to serve as one-way or two-way vehicle wireless datatransmission devices, and to serve as the vehicles' link to the IoT. Thebattery module 10 power capacity allows for powering of the electricvehicle PD-V via the power port 24. The BMS 16 of the battery module mayalso allow for the collection of vehicle and battery performance data.The GPS 28 may be used to obtain location data of the vehicle PD-V andwhether the battery module 10 (and hence the vehicle PD-V) is stationaryor moving, etc. The battery module 10 may also be connected to a vehicledata system of the electric vehicle PD-V via the data port 26. Thewireless transmitter 18 of the battery module 10 may transmit thecollected data via the cloud CL to be stored in a database 30.

The system 1 may also include a remote server 32 that communicates withthe battery modules 10 or the database 30 including receiving the dataincluding the performance information. That is, the battery modules 10may use their wireless transceiver 18 to communicate the data includingthe performance information to the cloud CL and the server 30, alsoconnected to the cloud CL, may receive the data including theperformance information either directly from the battery modules 10 orfrom the database 30.

The system 1 uses the GPS 28 (or any other known technique) to determinethe geographical location of the electric vehicle PD-V and uses thegeographical location to select an electric vehicle performance/ridesetting from a plurality of electric vehicle performance settings. Theplurality of electric vehicle performance settings may correspond to theUS Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards controlled by the Departmentof Transportation (FMVSS). The FMVSS safety standards may include type 1or 2 e-Bicycle, moped, or motorcycle. Different jurisdictions mayrequire different safety or performance standards for a vehicle to haveone the four classes.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified view of a potential display for thesystem 1. The electric vehicle PD-V may include a digital display thatdisplays a current performance/ride setting as selected by the system 1based on the geographical location of the electric vehicle PD-V asdetermined by the battery module 10.

In one embodiment, the battery module 10 and specifically the processor14 or the BMS 16 may have stored therein or in associated storage ormemory a database with the various ride mode rules correlated togeographical locations. In this embodiment, the remote server 32 maymaintain the ride mode database of the battery module 10 up to date(e.g., in case a jurisdiction changes its rules) by sending over the airupdates to the battery module 10 via the wireless transceiver 18. Abattery module 10 or specifically the processor 14 or the BMS 16 detectsgeographical location of the vehicle PD-V to which it is connected,looks up in the database a corresponding riding mode for thegeographical location, and controls the vehicle PD-V to which it isconnected to perform in the corresponding ride mode or at leastcommunicates the information to the vehicle PD-V so it may set theproper ride mode for the geographical location.

In another embodiment, the database 30 may have stored therein or inassociated storage or memory the various ride mode rules correlated togeographical locations. In this embodiment, the remote server 32 maymaintain the ride mode rule information in the database 30 up to date(e.g., in case a jurisdiction changes its rules). A battery module 10 orspecifically the processor 14 or the BMS 16 detects geographicallocation of the vehicle PD-V to which it is connected and transmits thelocation to the remote server 32 via the wireless transceiver 18. Theremote server 32 may look up in the database 30 a corresponding ridingmode for the geographical location and communicate to the battery module10 via the wireless transceiver 18. The battery module 10 orspecifically the processor 14 may control the vehicle PD-V to which itis connected to perform in the corresponding ride mode or at leastcommunicate the information to the vehicle PD-V so it may set the properride mode for the geographical location.

If the newly determined ride mode is different from the currently setride mode, the processor 14 may automatically alter the vehicleperformance parameters to match the selected electric vehicleperformance setting. In one embodiment, the processor 14 may delay untilthe electric vehicle PD-V comes to a stop to update the ride modeparameters.

For example, in FIG. 1 , a rider may ride the vehicle PD-V from thestate of Minnesota to the state of Wisconsin, which as of the time ofthis disclosure have different rules applying to LEV. Immediately priorto entering Wisconsin, the vehicle PD-V was performing in a ride modecorresponding to the state of Minnesota. The battery module 10 orspecifically the processor 14 or the BMS 16 detects location of thevehicle PD-V (from the GPS 28) as Wisconsin. The battery module 10transmits the location to the remote server 32 via the wirelesstransceiver 18. The remote server 32 may look up in the database 30 acorresponding riding mode for Wisconsin and communicate to the batterymodule 10 via the wireless transceiver 18. The battery module 10 orspecifically the processor 14 may control the vehicle PD-V to which itis connected to perform in the corresponding ride mode for Wisconsin orat least communicate the information to the vehicle PD-V so it may setthe proper ride mode for the new location.

For manufacturers, a vehicle PD-V may be transported anywhere aftermanufacturing. At the point of sale or first use, the battery module 10or specifically the processor 14 or the BMS 16 detects location of thevehicle PD-V (from the GPS 28). The battery module 10 transmits thelocation to the remote server 32 via the wireless transceiver 18. Theremote server 32 may look up in the database 30 a corresponding ridingmode for the geographical location and communicate to the battery module10 via the wireless transceiver 18. The battery module 10 orspecifically the processor 14 may control the vehicle PD-V to which itis connected to perform in the corresponding ride mode for the locationor at least communicate the information to the vehicle PD-V so it mayset the proper ride mode for the location.

In some circumstances a given electric vehicle PD-V may be determined tocomply with regulations corresponding to multiple ride modes and,therefore, the electric vehicle PD-V may be set to perform in multipleride modes. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the display may also be a userinput interface configured for a user to select from available ridemodes. The user input interface may indicate ride modes that areavailable for selection by the user based on the location of theelectric vehicle PD-V. The user input interface may receive user inputincluding the selection of the electric vehicle ride mode from theavailable ride modes.

The battery module 10 may be configured to communicate with a mobiledevice CD via, for example, the wireless transceiver 18. The mobiledevice CD may further include a user input interface (e.g., an app)configured to indicate a set of electric vehicle performance settingsincluding ride modes currently available for selection by the user basedon the location of the electric vehicle PD-V. The user input interfaceof the mobile device CD may be configured to receive user inputselection of the desired electric vehicle performance settings from theset of performance settings. The user may then use the user interface ofthe mobile device CD to select the desired performance setting includinga ride mode.

The one or more processors 14 may prevent a user from selecting anelectric vehicle performance setting such as a ride mode that is notcurrently available for selection by the user based on the location ofthe electric vehicle.

These and other scenarios are possible because of the capabilities ofthe battery-centric Geo-Fenced (GF) Ride Control system of the presentdisclosure.

Exemplary methods may be better appreciated with reference to the flowdiagram of FIG. 4 . While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, theillustrated methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks,it is to be appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by theorder of the blocks, as some blocks can occur in different orders orconcurrently with other blocks from that shown and described. Moreover,less than all the illustrated blocks may be required to implement anexemplary methodology. Furthermore, additional methodologies,alternative methodologies, or both can employ additional blocks, notillustrated.

In the flow diagrams, blocks denote “processing blocks” that may beimplemented with logic. The processing blocks may represent a methodstep or an apparatus element for performing the method step. The flowdiagrams do not depict syntax for any particular programming language,methodology, or style (e.g., procedural, object-oriented). Rather, theflow diagrams illustrate functional information one skilled in the artor artificial intelligence (AI) may employ to develop logic to performthe illustrated processing. It will be appreciated that in someexamples, program elements like temporary variables, routine loops, andso on, are not shown. It will be further appreciated that electronic andsoftware applications may involve dynamic and flexible processes so thatthe illustrated blocks can be performed in other sequences that aredifferent from those shown or that blocks may be combined or separatedinto multiple components. It will be appreciated that the processes maybe implemented using various programming approaches like machinelanguage, procedural, object oriented or artificial intelligence ormachine learning techniques.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram for an exemplary method 400 for abattery-centric Geo-Fenced Ride Control (GF) system. At 410, the method400 includes obtaining original vehicle performance setting information.At 420, the method 400 includes obtaining vehicle location. At 430, themethod 400 includes transmitting the vehicle location data wirelessly toa remote sever. At 440, the method 400 includes wirelessly receivingvehicle performance settings currently available for selection from theremote servers based on the vehicle location data. At 450, the method400 may include comparing the vehicle performance settings currentlyavailable for selection with the currently set vehicle performancesettings. If the currently set vehicle performance setting is one of thevehicle performance settings currently available for selection, then themethod restarts. If the currently set vehicle performance setting is notone of the vehicle performance settings currently available forselection, then at 460 the method includes selecting a vehicleperformance setting from the plurality of vehicle performance settingsbased on the geographical location of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment500 that may be used to deploy the battery module 10 or the remoteserver 32 of the present disclosure. The environment 500 includes aprocessor 502 (e.g., the processor 14), a memory 504, and I/O Ports 510operably connected by a bus 508. The environment 500 may also includethe database 30 or may communicate with the database 30 via the cloudCL.

The processor 502 (e.g., the processor 14) can be a variety of variousprocessors including dual microprocessor and other multi-processorarchitectures. The memory 504 can include volatile memory ornon-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can include, but is notlimited to, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and the like. Volatile memory caninclude, for example, RAM, synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), and directRAM bus RAM (DRRAM).

A storage 506 may be operably connected to the environment 500 via, forexample, an I/O Interfaces (e.g., card, device) 518 and an I/O Ports510. The storage 506 can include, but is not limited to, devices like amagnetic disk drive, a solid state disk drive, a floppy disk drive, atape drive, a Zip drive, a flash memory card, or a memory stick.Furthermore, the storage 506 can include optical drives like a CD-ROM, aCD recordable drive (CD-R drive), a CD rewriteable drive (CD-RW drive),or a digital video ROM drive (DVD ROM). The memory 504 can storeprocesses 514 or data 516, for example. The storage 506 or memory 504can store an operating system that controls and allocates resources ofthe environment 500. The database 30 may reside in the storage 506.

The bus 508 can be a single internal bus interconnect architecture orother bus or mesh architectures. While a single bus is illustrated, itis to be appreciated that environment 500 may communicate with variousdevices, logics, and peripherals using other busses that are notillustrated (e.g., PCIE, SATA, Infiniband, 1394, USB, Ethernet). The bus508 can be of a variety of types including, but not limited to, a memorybus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, a crossbarswitch, or a local bus. The local bus can be of varieties including, butnot limited to, an industrial standard architecture (ISA) bus, amicrochannel architecture (MCA) bus, an extended ISA (EISA) bus, aperipheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, a universal serial (USB)bus, and a small computer systems interface (SCSI) bus.

The environment 500 may interact with input/output devices via I/OInterfaces 518 and I/O Ports 510. Input/output devices can include, butare not limited to, a keyboard, a microphone, a pointing and selectiondevice, cameras, video cards, displays, storage 506, network devices520, and the like. The I/O Ports 510 can include but are not limited to,serial ports, parallel ports, and USB ports.

The environment 500 (and the battery module 10) can operate in a networkenvironment and thus may be connected to network devices 520 via the I/OInterfaces 518, or the I/O Ports 510. Through the network devices 520,the environment 500 may interact with a network. Through the network,the environment 500 may be logically connected to remote computersincluding, for example, a network computer or file server hosting thedatabase 30. The networks with which the environment 500 may interactinclude, but are not limited to, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), and other networks. The network devices 520 can connectto LAN technologies including, but not limited to, fiber distributeddata interface (FDDI), copper distributed data interface (CDDI),Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), token ring (IEEE 802.5), wireless computercommunication (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1), Zigbee (IEEE802.15.4) and the like. Similarly, the network devices 520 can connectto WAN technologies including, but not limited to, point to point links,circuit switching networks like integrated services digital networks(ISDN), packet switching networks, satellite communication, and digitalsubscriber lines (DSL). While individual network types are described, itis to be appreciated that communications via, over, or through a networkmay include combinations and mixtures of communications.

DEFINITIONS

The following includes definitions of selected terms employed herein.The definitions include various examples or forms of components thatfall within the scope of a term and that may be used for implementation.The examples are not intended to be limiting. Both singular and pluralforms of terms may be within the definitions.

An “operable connection,” or a connection by which entities are“operably connected,” is one in which signals, physical communications,or logical communications may be sent or received. Typically, anoperable connection includes a physical interface, an electricalinterface, or a data interface, but it is to be noted that an operableconnection may include differing combinations of these or other types ofconnections sufficient to allow operable control. For example, twoentities can be operably connected by being able to communicate signalsto each other directly or through one or more intermediate entities likea processor, operating system, a logic, software, or other entity.Logical or physical communication channels can be used to create anoperable connection.

To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in thedetailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extentthat the term “or” is employed in the detailed description or claims(e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When theapplicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term“only A or B but not both” will be employed. Thus, use of the term “or”herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A.Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995).

While example systems, methods, and so on, have been illustrated bydescribing examples, and while the examples have been described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants torestrict or in any way limit scope to such detail. It is, of course, notpossible to describe every conceivable combination of components ormethodologies for purposes of describing the systems, methods, and soon, described herein. Additional advantages and modifications willreadily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention isnot limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus, andillustrative examples shown and described. Thus, this application isintended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fallwithin the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the precedingdescription is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather,the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claimsand their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A two wheel vehicle comprising: one or morebattery modules including one or more battery cells; one or moreprocessors operably connected to the one or more battery cells tocontrol two wheel vehicle performance; and a Global Positioning System(GPS) or cellular network receiver configured to determine location ofthe two wheel vehicle; the one or more processors configured to select atwo wheel vehicle performance setting from a plurality of two wheelvehicle performance settings based on the location of the two wheelvehicle.
 2. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality oftwo wheel vehicle performance settings correspond to US Federal MotorVehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) including type 1 or 2 e-Bicycle, moped,or motorcycle.
 3. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1, comprising: awireless transmitter operably connected to the one or more processorsand configured to transmit data wirelessly including location of thevehicle to a remote server; a wireless receiver operably connected tothe one or more processors to receive data from the remote serverincluding vehicle performance parameters, the processor configured toselect the two wheel vehicle performance setting from the plurality oftwo wheel vehicle performance settings based on the vehicle performanceparameters.
 4. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1, comprising a user inputinterface configured to receive user input including selection of thetwo wheel vehicle performance setting from the plurality of two wheelvehicle performance settings.
 5. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1,comprising a user input interface configured to indicate the selectedtwo wheel vehicle performance setting from the plurality of two wheelvehicle performance settings.
 6. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1,comprising a user input interface configured to indicate a set of twowheel vehicle performance settings from the plurality of two wheelvehicle performance settings currently available for selection by theuser based on the location of the two wheel vehicle, the user inputinterface configured to receive user input including selection of a twowheel vehicle performance setting from the set of two wheel vehicleperformance settings.
 7. The two wheel vehicle of claim 1, the one ormore processors configured to communicate with a mobile device includinga user input interface configured to indicate a set of two wheel vehicleperformance settings from the plurality of two wheel vehicle performancesettings currently available for selection by the user based on thelocation of the two wheel vehicle, the user input interface configuredto receive user input including selection of a two wheel vehicleperformance setting from the set of two wheel vehicle performancesettings, the one or more processors configured to receiver the userinput and select the two wheel vehicle performance setting from the setof two wheel vehicle performance settings based on the user input. 8.The two wheel vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processorsprevent a user from selecting a two wheel vehicle performance settingfrom the plurality of two wheel vehicle performance settings notcurrently available for selection by the user based on the location ofthe two wheel vehicle.
 9. A vehicle comprising: one or more batterymodules including one or more battery cells; one or more processorsoperably connected to the one or more battery cells to control vehicleperformance; and a location information receiver configured to receivegeographical location of the vehicle; the one or more processorsconfigured to select a vehicle performance setting from a plurality ofvehicle performance settings based on the geographical location of thevehicle.
 10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the plurality of vehicleperformance settings corresponds to US Federal Motor Vehicle SafetyStandards (FMVSS) including type 1 or 2 e-Bicycle, moped, or vehicle.11. The vehicle of claim 9, comprising: a wireless transmitter operablyconnected to the one or more processors and configured to transmit datawirelessly including location of the vehicle to a remote server; awireless receiver operably connected to the one or more processors toreceive data from the remote server including vehicle performanceparameters, the processor configured to select the vehicle performancesetting from the plurality of vehicle performance settings based on thevehicle performance parameters.
 12. The vehicle of claim 9, comprising auser input interface configured to receive user input includingselection of the vehicle performance setting from the plurality ofvehicle performance settings.
 13. The vehicle of claim 9, comprising auser input interface configured to indicate the selected vehicleperformance setting from the plurality of vehicle performance settings.14. The vehicle of claim 9, comprising a user input interface configuredto indicate a set of vehicle performance settings from the plurality ofvehicle performance settings currently available for selection by theuser based on the location of the vehicle, the user input interfaceconfigured to receive user input including selection of a vehicleperformance setting from the set of vehicle performance settings. 15.The vehicle of claim 9, the one or more processors configured tocommunicate with a mobile device including a user input interfaceconfigured to indicate a set of vehicle performance settings from theplurality of vehicle performance settings currently available forselection by the user based on the location of the vehicle, the userinput interface configured to receive user input including selection ofa vehicle performance setting from the set of vehicle performancesettings, the one or more processors configured to receiver the userinput and select the vehicle performance setting from the set of vehicleperformance settings based on the user input.
 16. The vehicle of claim9, wherein the one or more processors prevent a user from selecting avehicle performance setting from the plurality of vehicle performancesettings not currently available for selection by the user based on thelocation of the vehicle.
 17. A method of controlling a vehicle,comprising: providing a geographical location of the vehicle; andselecting a vehicle performance setting from a plurality of vehicleperformance settings based on the geographical location of the vehicle.18. The method of claim 17, comprising: the vehicle transmitting datawirelessly including location of the vehicle to a remote server; thevehicle receiving data from the remote server including vehicleperformance parameters; and selecting the vehicle performance settingfrom the plurality of vehicle performance settings based on the vehicleperformance parameters.
 19. The method of claim 17, comprising:indicating to a rider of the vehicle a set of vehicle performancesettings from the plurality of vehicle performance settings currentlyavailable for selection by the rider based on the location of thevehicle; and receiving user input from the rider including selection ofa vehicle performance setting from the set of vehicle performancesettings.
 20. The method of claim 17, comprising: preventing a user fromselecting a vehicle performance setting from the plurality of vehicleperformance settings not currently available for selection by the userbased on the location of the vehicle.